All that glitters

The Beverly Hilton was certainly a hotbed of controversy the other evening as it hosted the Golden Globes Awards and for a change not all the attention was on MC Ricky Gervais. Certainly he rattled a few cages, after all that was exactly what he was employed to do, but it was the Executive Chef of the hotel who upset some of the more principled A listers at the Gala Dinner following the awards ceremony. In a time of austerity and recession when many Americans are facing hunger the opulent, gold-garnished menu concocted for guests prompted some observers to choke. Against a backdrop of intensifying food poverty across America, maybe it was a little bit unwise to serve such concerned actors as George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Michael Fassbender a dessert that was literally as difficult to acquire as gold dust. The pudding, decorated with real gold, was described as "a chocolate delice, almond crunch terrine, garnished with acacia honey, caramel and fresh berries" and sprinkled with edible gold flakes at $135 a gram. The dish was devised over six months by pastry chef Thomas Henzi. Whilst there may be a thematic excuse for using gold in the dessert it was considered by many to be a tad insensitive in the current harsh economic climate.

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